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Nearly two months after the second nine-member meeting on the Ethiopian Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), although a paper on the pending resolution schedule of outstanding issues was published , no calendar step has been implemented. We have established a roadmap that, if successful, will overcome the difficulties we face, "Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri told reporters after the meeting
Irrigation and Intelligence Leaders of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan
"High level discussions were to be held this week to discuss the details from the establishment of the common fund on the calendar. But neither the ministerial meetings nor the new meetings nor the high-level talks took place. It is obvious that the other parties are gaining time during the construction of the dam, "said a diplomat under cover of anonymity.
At their meeting at nine mid-May, the foreign ministers and the Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan agreed in a document that the chairman of the National Technical Committee (NTC) on the dam would be required to communicate the observations of Sudan and the United States. Ethiopia on the preliminary report to the French consulting firm to respond to it within three weeks.
The response was then to be discussed at the ministerial meeting to be held immediately after the third meeting at nine, on June 19. [19659002] They also agreed to establish a tripartite infrastructure fund that would bring together senior officials from the three countries to identify the necessary joint infrastructure and development projects. [19] 659002] Cairo was to host the fund meeting on July 3, but the meeting did not take place until the week of Al-Ahram. These meetings, said Abbas Sharaki, a professor at the Institute for Research and African Studies at Cairo University, depend on the consulting firm's response to the observations from Sudan and Ethiopia
. The firm that has been working with the three countries for more than a year and submitted its preliminary report last May receives more comments, he said.
The second meeting at nine opened the door to the creation to hold more meetings likely to distract attention and to distance the parties from solving the outstanding issues between the three countries.
The document confirms that the leaders of the three countries will meet every six months for consultations and that the participants have agreed to set up a scientific study group to consult on the filling of the dam.
The second round of new negotiations took place shortly after a series of technical negotiations held in Cairo.
Visit of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to Cairo and his meeting with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi were to lead to a breakthrough in the negotiations in Cairo. rt
. "Egypt's share in the Nile will be maintained … and even increased," Ahmed said at a press conference after talks in Cairo. The two leaders agreed to adopt a common vision on the dam based on respect for the rights of each.
"The last few weeks have seen friendly meetings and promising statements, but there is no tangible progress in the negotiations," Sharaki said. The scientific study group was supposed to discuss scenarios related to the rules of filling and operating the dam in accordance with the principle of fair and reasonable use of shared water, while taking all the appropriate measures to prevent "significant harm", such as the Declaration of Principles signed by the three states in 2015.
The group held two meetings last month behind closed doors. It is composed of 15 members, five from each country.
"We do not know on what basis Egypt has chosen its five members and how this group differs from the technical committee that held dozens of meetings that failed to achieve. According to the document of the meeting of the nine parties, the panel is expected to hold nine meetings and report the results of the meetings to the three countries' irrigation ministers by August 15.
Egypt has expressed concern that the Dam will affect the flow of water and reduce its water quota if necessary Nile. Ethiopia has repeatedly stated that the construction of the dam will not affect the share from Egypt, because the dam is built to produce electricity.
However, no study proves that the dam will not affect the Egyptian water quota. , Ethiopia refuses to recognize the 1959 agreement that specified the quota of water for the & # 39; Egypt & Sudan.
The dam filling time is now the most urgent issue that needs to be resolved.
Ethiopia wanted to fill the dam reservoir in three to five years. He had planned to start this summer. But there is no sign that backfilling will begin this year.
Egypt fears that during backfilling too much of the Nile's water may be retained, reducing its water quota and affecting its agriculture. He tries to negotiate the extension of the filling period to seven or ten years.
During their meeting, Al-Sisi and Ahmed agreed to begin negotiations on the filling process. But no plan or start date has been divulged until now. Disagreements over the preliminary report as well as the filling time and operation of the dam thwarted the first nine-party meeting held in Khartoum in April.
The dam is now over 65% completed, according to the Ethiopian ambbadador. Sudan Mawtada Zoudi. "It's a very big project, and we still have a lot to expect, but the building process is going well and has not stopped a minute.
Up to now, we have completed more than 65% of the construction and very soon, maybe in less than a year, we will celebrate the completion of the dam, "said Zoudi, quoted last month.
Although there appears to be little or no progress in tripartite negotiations, some commentators The Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, went to Ethiopia the month of last with cautious optimism, considering it as a possible breakthrough.
Given that Addis Ababa is an important African state and that its economy is promising, the UAE "This visit could put pressure on Addis Ababa for it to show flexibility in negotiations on the dam, "said one commentator.
During the visit, the UAE said that w ould will deposit $ 1 billion into the Ethiopian central bank to mitigate the Ethiopian central bank's shortage. This is part of a pledge of US $ 3 billion worth of investment and investment from the UAE to Ethiopia announced last Friday.
"The shortage of foreign exchange in Ethiopia is partly due to the expenditure of infrastructure projects, so it is not unlikely that Ethiopia will use this money to complete the construction of the dam" said Mr. Sharaki.
Sharaki said that if there was coordination between Egypt and the UAE, the visit could help bridge the difference between the two countries.
The UAE could then act as an indirect mediator by improving negotiations.
* A version of this article appears in the July 5, 2018 issue of Al-Ahram Weekly under the title: No Breakthrough on the Dam
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